St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-08-18
THE SALOON IN POLITICS.

The anti-saloon republicans are stir
ring. The New York league has is
sued circular to the people of New
York and other states, and the Massa-
chusetts republicans including such
men as Senators Dawes and Hoar, have
issued an appeal to the temperance re-
publicans of that state. The former is
an elaborate document. In reply to
the criticism that the proposed reform
is only a ruse on the part of the re-
publicans, the New York league says:
"The anti-saloon republican move
ment is not a political trick, as some
have nalevolently charged. 1t was
originated by private members of the
part-cOnsistent temperance advocates
who, believing that the republican
party contains a vast majority of the
temperance people of the nation, have
appealed to it, not without bright pros
poets of success, to antagOnize the
liquor power. 1t is movement pri-
marily in the interests of temperance"
Nearly half the circular is taken up
with extracts from written opinions of
leading republicans. Here are some
of them:
Senator MOrrill-"I hardly know of
that of the anti saloon movement"
Senator Edmunds-'1 earnestly hope
that the republican party in every
warfare against the saloon system.
oil fhof lnc in ia
direction, and l think all that will be
done in the next twenty-five years, has
been done and will be done through
the republican party"
Theodore ROOsevelt-"I think that
the republican party should go ahead
in this matter as it did on the great
question of slavery"
"SenatOr HOar :-"The public must
look to the republican party for this
work on behalf of moral purity and
righteousness, as it has looked for so
many others to the same source. Ger
tainly it can look for no help to that
party which is, and SO long has been,
supported and controlled by the liquor
selling interest of the country"
Senator Evarts-"There is but one
adequate remedy suitable to political
methods for this threatened subOrdina-
ton of the great parties in their princi-
pies, their purposes and their candi-
dates to the purely private and selfish
interests of liquor dealing cOmbina-
tons. That remedy is by one of these
parties emancipating itself from this
malign control in shaping the politics
of the country, and defying and de-
feating its power. The republican
party is, think, prepared to take this
step and pursue this policy"
The Massachusetts circular is the
first gun of the fall campaign in that
state. 1t begins with urging the i'm
portance of nominating and electing
officials and members of the legislature
who can be relied upon to promote
temperance measures. The useless
ness of looking to the democratic party
for help is emphasized, and seeming
ly unnecessary amount of space is de-
voted to showing the amount of injury
the third party has done to the cause
of temperance.
Both documents are significant as
showing the increasing prominence
which men of all parties accord the sa-
loon in politics. The signs are hopeful
for the cause of temperance. PrOhibi-
tiOnists incline to question the sinceri-
ty of these party declarations in view
of past experiences, but they will be
glad to see the cause helped along in
any way. Had the republican party
always taken care to nominate and
elect members of the legislature who
can be relied upon to promote temper
ance measures" the third party would
have no excuse for it's existence.